_________
~Dear diary,
It's been sixteen years since I woke up in this world I'm the body of a child.
At first, I was shocked. The steam-powered machinery and outdated fashion threw me off, but it didn't take long for me to realize that this was no longer my Earth. Who would've thought that trucks could actually transport you to another universe? Honestly, I still can't believe it sometimes.
I remember the voice that spoke to me in the darkness before I reincarnated. After I came here, I never heard from it again.
In these recent years, I've learned a lot. Back then, I woke up in the body of a prince who had no talent for magic arts, now I work as I reporter searching for daily news everyday.
I remember wanting to be a prince, it came to pass for a while though.
Now, every day is a battle to find news worth reporting. But, diary, I'm losing my mind. Monsters exist here—demons, to be exact.
It's not funny at all.
I wasn't one of those lucky isekai protagonists who wake up with special powers. I don't have even a hint of talent for magic. Only Wardens can wield it, using their awakened talents to fight off the demons that pour through the dimensional gates.
It's terrifying.
I remember the day I stood face-to-face with a demon. It had fourteen eyes, and its mouth split into three parts. When it swung its hand, it brought down an entire building. I nearly pissed my pants. But then, with one punch, a Warden sent that monstrous creature flying like a rag doll.
Wardens are powerful—survivors of the otherworld, or so I've heard. They appeared shortly before the demons started coming through the gates. Lucky for humanity, right?
Then there are the avatars, people who wield mysterious objects called wonders. These wonders appear before a calamity—demons so strong they warp reality itself. I've read about the first calamity, something about a dragon. There have been eight wonders and eight calamities so far. When the next one will happen, no one knows.
We humans are barely holding on, confined to just one continent because the rest of the world is too dangerous. The wonders and their avatars are the only reason people can still go out and enjoy a drink in peace. They're our last hope, the pillars of our survival.
But me… I'm just a 17-year-old reporter with a frustrating boss. This isn't the dream isekai life I imagined. I have no friends, and the women here are… intriguing. I met one last week who had a way of saying my name that—well, I'll spare you the details. I was drunk, after all.
Another thing that I discovered is that this world is the same one I was working on for a fictional work. At least that's what I feel, it seems not to be likely though. Just a theory.
Life isn't really looking up for me, but where there's life, there's hope, right? At least I can try to become rich. I can do this.
If anyone else ever reads this diary, they might think I'm insane. But for now, you're the only one I trust with these thoughts.~
__________
Julius closed the diary with a sigh and leaned back in his chair. The weight of the years after his reincarnation in this strange world pressed down on him as he gazed out the window. The steam powered fan on his desk whirred softly, blowing his short black hair around. His deep purple eyes, heavy with exhaustion, reflected the afternoon light streaming into his office.
He was still at work, surrounded by stacks of papers waiting to be sorted. His office was tidy, with a coat hanger bearing his hat and coat by the side. Shelves lined with books and articles filled the room—a collection of things he had gathered over the years.
Yes, he came to this world as a child. But his parents deemed him useless immediately when he was born.
He doesn't remember them too well as they dropped him off at an orphanage early on, but it was another life without caring parents for him.
"I still have to get this sorted out in two days," Julius muttered to himself, staring at the mountain of paperwork. He rubbed his temples, feeling the familiar throb of a headache coming on. "I'm tired. I'll go back home for now."
He pulled out a pocket watch from his coat pocket, marveling at the craftsmanship. Though outdated on his Earth, this was one of the latest pieces of machinery here. The intricate gears and polished metal reflected the industrial world he had been thrust into.
After donning his coat and hat, Julius lit a cigarette with a small, flickering flame from his lighter. Some might think he was too young to smoke but it was very cold outside.
He took a long puff, letting the smoke heat his nerves as he stepped out of the office.
He walked into the working quarters, seeing the large room with dozens of desks and typewriters lining them. But something was strange about the place.
Julius' eyes darted around, taking in the eerie stillness. The clock on the wall had stopped ticking. The flicker of the fluorescent lights halted mid-flicker. It was as if the world had taken a breath and forgotten to exhale.
He looked outside of the windows again and saw that indeed everything had frozen.
Julius' heart began to race as he looked around and he didn't know what was going on.
All of a sudden he heard a bell sound and he looked in front of him to see golden words glowing in front of him. He shuddered as he read it.
[A story has taken root in your soul. Prepare for the trial.]
[A large part of your vessel is missing. You have no anchor for a story.]
Julius glanced at the two sentences with a shocked expression on his face. All of a sudden the world moved.
Julius blinked, bewildered as he looked outside to see that everything had indeed returned to normal.
The office was empty, but outside, life continued as if nothing had happened.
'I... Awakened?' he was surprised.
Stories are said to be the first thing a warden awakens before they get their talents. A story forms trials for each warden and they all get sent to another world to survive until the winter solstice is over.
But what did it mean that his vessel was not complete?
Shaking his head, he walked out of the building, his mind racing. Had he imagined it? Was it a side effect of drinking too much? The thought gnawed at him as he hailed a cab.
"Durango, please," Julius said, his voice unsteady. The cab driver, a gruff man with a mechanical arm, nodded and pulled a lever, making the car rumble to life.
"Meeting you two days in a row now sir. I still can't believe you live in the outskirts." The driver said, looking at the rearview mirror before moving the car forward.
"Well, I'm not ready to abandon that orphanage yet." He mumbled with a low voice, staring out the window.
Noticing his mood the driver kept quiet and drove forth, letting what he heard sink in.
Julius settled into the brown leather seats, glancing out the window as they drove through the bustling streets.
He couldn't shake the feeling that something—or someone—had been watching him during that frozen moment in the office. Even as the car rumbled down the road, a sense of unease lingered, like a shadow he couldn't quite see but knew was there.
In fact, this isn't the first time something strange is happening to him.
'I remember moments where such happened, but it usually is only brief so I brush it off.' he pondered.
It could be that the message has wanted to come to him but it's only succeeding now. Or that wardens usually experience such signs before they awaken.
Anyway, it was a new experience that he could take down in his journal as he gets home.
As they rode through the bustling streets, slowly, there was less and less activity happening around as they reached the outskirts.
Julius tried to push the thoughts of what happened today away, chalking it up to exhaustion or perhaps the alcohol from last night. But deep down, he felt that something really did happen.
A new string of words appeared in front of him, making him shocked.
[Anomaly found]
[Your vessel lacks an anchor. Failure to acquire one in a week would result in being deleted]
Julius frowned as he stared at the new string of words that appeared in front of him. And then he mumbled:
"The fuck?"